kingston-alexander-preso
TRANSCRIPT
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Kingston Interactive Television (KIT)
ADSL/Broadband TV
Mike AlexanderBroadband Service Development Manager
Kingston Communications
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Overview• Introduction
– Kingston Communications and it’s networks• KIT Overview
– Initial objectives and key milestones• KIT Platform
– Service offering• Service Demonstration• What have we learnt?• Q&A
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Kingston Communications
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Where is Hull?
?
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Kingston Communications• Founded in 1902, history of innovation• €467m annual revenue (02/03), 2 500
employees• A wide-ranging telecommunication services
provider– core services: voice, data, internet, mobile, satellite– value added services: call centres, information
services, broadband networks, broadband TV• National and regional networks
– 160 000 residential lines (East Yorkshire)– 20 000 business customers (East Yorkshire &
National)• A network and platform not a content business
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Kingston’s Network
London
Leeds
ExeterPlymouth
Reading
York
BradfordWakefield
Hull
Manchester
Nottingham
Sheffield
Leicester
NorthamptonBedford
Liverpool
Gloucester
Birmingham
Milton Keynes
Derby
Chalfont
Coventry
SwindonBristol
Stoke
Warrington
Broadband ADSL Network
in East Yorkshire
National Fibre Network
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Kingston’s Broadband Network
• UK’s first all digital telephone network• Pioneered ADSL broadband in mid 1990s• By 1999 all exchanges DSL-enabled• In 2003 delivering broadband-based
services to around 10 000 homes– Highest per capita broadband penetration in UK
• Full broadband TV service delivered via ADSL using a single, ordinary copper telephone line– No cable, no satellite dish, telephone unaffected
• Broadband TV delivers minimum 5Mb bandwidth to the home
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KIT Overview
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Initial Objectives• Utilise existing ADSL infrastructure• Defence against cable competition• Provide multiple, rich services cost
effectively• Provide flexible infrastructure for partners’
content and applications• Drive initial uptake via free STB & ADSL
modem• Price to appeal to mass-consumer audience
(packages from €9,65 per month)• Drive revenues via backchannel
applications
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Key Milestones• September 1998
– Initial trials to 250 homes• August 1999
– Public commercial trial (4 exchanges, 1 500 lines)• September 2000
– Full commercial launch (infrastructure for 30 000 lines)
• March 2001– 10 000 subscribers (~10% market penetration in
6 months)• November 2001
– Full PPV and subscription VOD service launched
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Ground-breaking Service• World’s first commercially deployed, full
service broadband TV offering over ADSL• World’s largest commercially deployed VOD
system– 35 nCUBE video servers capable of serving 7 000
simultaneous streams– Capacity 7 500 hours (scaleable)
• World’s first broadcast-VOD-broadcast, interactive TV advert
• UK’s first interactive drama• BBC’s first TV-based VOD news service
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KIT Platform
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KIT Platform• Based on open, widely-used standards:
– IP networking– HTML and JavaScript– JPEG, GIF, PNG (images)– MPEG and RTSP (video)
• Ease and low cost of moving content onto platform, leverages partners’ existing:– Content– Skills– Infrastructure
• Content development and delivery considerably more cost effective than other digital TV platforms
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Service & Content Management
• On-demand video hosted locally on Kingston’s video servers– Delivered via tape, private circuit or VPN
• Other content and services (HTML/JavaScript) hosted on Web/application servers:– locally (on the Kingston network)– remotely (by partner, anywhere on the Internet)
• Allows partners to remotely manage their own rich, branded environments on the KIT platform
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Technology Partners• Alcatel
– ADSL/ATM network hardware– Middleware (was iMagicTV)
• Tandberg– Head-end receivers and encoders
• nCUBE– Video servers
• Pace– Set-top box (DSL 4000)
• ANT– Embedded Web browser (Fresco)
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KIT Service Offering• Broadcast digital TV & Radio• Video-on-Demand (VOD)• Games• TV-based email and Web access• Interactive content and services• T-commerce• PC-based, broadband Internet access• Thin client application services (in the
future?)
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Broadcast Digital TV & Radio• 70 channels
– Basic channel package €9,65 per month (30 channels)
– Premium channel options available (entertainment, movies, sports, etc.) up to an additional €72,25 per month
– “Virtual” channels• Electronic Programme Guide (EPG)
– Rolling 7-day schedule• Video is MPEG encoded and delivered at
4,3Mb/s– Real-time encoding from DSAT/DTT feed
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Video-On-Demand• Utilised extensively throughout the service:
– Movies (including trailers)– eTV applications– Interactive applications– Adverts and promotions (local and national)– Locally produced news and special interest pieces
• Video is MPEG encoded at 2Mb/s– “Offline” encoding allows broadcast quality at
lower bit rates• Full playback control (pause, FF, REW)
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Full VOD Playback Control
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Video-On-Demand• 3 models:
– Pay-per-view content €2,10–€5,00 per item (24-hour rental)
– Bundled subscription packages from €3,55–€14,20 per month
– Free-to-view VOD libraries• Platform supports multiple branded ‘Video
Stores’– Currently movies, general entertainment and
“adult” content
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Games• JavaScript, BASIC and “native” games
supported• Small number of free (sponsored) games• Pay-per-play and mini-subscription
– €0,70 per game for unlimited plays over 24 hours– Mainly “classic” games from a few years ago
• “Video-based” games also being considered– Games run on central, networked servers– Delivered to the set-top box as an MPEG video
stream– Backchannel used for game control– Allows any PC-based game to be played
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Games Demo Video
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TV-based Email and Web Access
• TV email + Web package €15,60 per month, unmetered– Free wired keyboard (wireless keyboard €42,50)– Simple point and click interface– 5 email addresses per household– Also remote email access via PC + Web browser
• Non internet subscribers get limited (walled garden) access– Content and service partners’ sites only
• PC Internet access options also available
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Interactive Content and Services
• Local information– e.g. news, sport and weather, entertainment
guides, Hull Colour Pages, schools portal• Learning/”edutainment”
– e.g. Walking with Beasts “on-demand”, BBC Bitesize
• Interactive broadcast programmes (eTV)– e.g. The Trench, World Cup, Wimbledon,
Commonwealth Games, Fame Academy• No incremental cost to the subscriber
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T-Commerce• Shopping
– e.g. Dominos Pizza, Gadget Shop, Hull FC Shop• Financial Services
– e.g. Nationwide online banking, Prudential insurance
• Betting– e.g. Blue Square, Ladbrokes
• Typically, earnings are generated on a revenue share basis
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PC-based Broadband Internet Access
• Utilises existing ADSL connection in the home (TV-based service)
• €298 set-up + €28,35 per month (unmetered)
• Currently 384kbps, always on connection• TV-based services (e.g. broadcast/VOD),
voice telephony and PC Internet access can all be used simultaneously over a single line!
• Kingston also offer dedicated broadband to PC options for higher bandwidths from €41 per month
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Thin Client Application Services
• Initial small-scale trial (300 homes)– Part of a local school’s in-home learning trial
• Utilises Citrix thin client technology• Allows almost any Windows or Unix desktop
application to be used on a TV via the set-top box– e.g. Microsoft Office, Sun Star Office, Internet
Explorer, etc.• Ideal for bridging the “digital divide” in low
income areas• Commercial services possible in the future
– ASP-type model
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Service Demonstration Video
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What have we learnt?
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10%
17%
24%
60%
9%
14%
35%
44%
Additional services via TV
TV/Internet email
For specific channels
Greater variety of channels (generalcomment)
Male
Female
Main benefit from subscribing to KIT
• Females were less specific compared to males in mentioning the benefits regarding programming.
• Specific channels would include mention of sport, kids, wildlife, documentaries and similar.
All respondents (n=201, Q3b)
Greater choice of TV viewing was the main benefit customers hoped to gain by
subscribing to KIT
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69%
31%
Take more than one KITsubscription serviceTake only one of KIT subscriptionservices
Most subscribe to multiple KIT services
49%
51%
Added to start-upsubscriptionNot added to start-upsubscription
Of those who added to initial subscription 75% added a Sky package; 74% pay-per-view VOD; 41% TV internet and email and 41% upgraded the Access package.
All respondents (n= 201, Q4b)
of which
Overall, a third of subscribers have added to their start-up
subscription
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37%
33%
27%
20%
25%
19%
21%
37%
31%
33%
36%
29%
23%
21%In touch with friends/familywith TV email
Buy products at push of button
Surf web without complexity ofa computer
Pause, FF, etc. without a videorecorder
Surf web from arm chair
Order movie without store visit
In touch with local news andevents
Totally agree Agree
Affinity with different aspects of the TV service
All respondents (n=201, Q8)
Local content is an important aspect of the service, even though not on the list of most
watched genres
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67%
62%
23%
15%
33%
Do not use the interactivefeatures
Infrequently
Some/half the time
Frequently
Use of the TV’s interactive features
Greater use of this feature is in younger households, with children and use appears to be higher amongst females.
All respondents (n= 201, Q6)
Use the interactive features
Two-thirds of viewers have
used the interactive features
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What have we learnt?• Keep it “televisual”
– Avoid Web conventions if not appropriate for TV• TV consumer wants to be
entertained/infotained– PC user wants to be informed and interact more
deeply• Viewers prefer video to text and static
pictures– A picture may be worth a thousand words but a
video is worth a thousand pictures• Local and community-orientated content
especially popular
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What have we learnt?• The TV is an appliance
– Service has to be easy to use and reliable
• Some of the underlying technology still at the “bleeding edge”
• “Push” versus “Search”– What gets promoted gets viewed/used
• Keyboards not popular– Navigation needs to possible with remote control
only– Challenge for t-commerce
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What have we learnt?• Significant investment required for
infrastructure• Scale is key (i.e. subscriber numbers)
– Spread fixed costs– Essential to attract content partners, sponsorship
and advertising• ARPU is key• Multi-channel, digital TV is a ‘Trojan Horse’
– No single ‘killer application’ exists for broadband TV
– It is the sum of the parts
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“The future of television is happening in Hull”
Greg Dyke, BBC Director General
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Questions / More info?
email: [email protected]: +44 7718 600369
www.kcom.com(Kingston Communications)
www.kit.tv(KIT consumer site)
www.bbc.co.uk/humber/bbci_hull/(BBCi trial on KIT)